Device structure with increased contact area and reduced gate capacitance

ABSTRACT

A FET structure including epitaxial source and drain regions includes large contact areas and exhibits both low resistivity and low parasitic gate to source/drain capacitance. The source and drain regions are laterally etched to provide recesses for accommodating low-k dielectric material without compromising the contact area between the source/drain regions and their associated contacts. A high-k dielectric layer is provided between the raised source/drain regions and a gate conductor as well as between the gate conductor and a substrate, such as an ETSOI or PDSOI substrate. The structure is usable in electronic devices such as MOSFET devices.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to semiconductor devices, andmore specifically, to field-effect transistors (FETs) formed onsemiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrates having epitaxial source anddrain regions.

BACKGROUND

With shrinking dimensions of various integrated circuit components,transistors such as FETs have experienced dramatic improvements in bothperformance and power consumption. These improvements may be largelyattributed to the reduction in dimensions of components used therein,which in general translate into reduced capacitance, resistance, andincreased through-put current from the transistors. Nevertheless,performance improvement brought up by this type of “classic” scaling, indevice dimensions, may cause increases in both external resistance andparasitic capacitance. Planar transistors, such as metal oxidesemiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) are particularly wellsuited for use in high-density integrated circuits. As the size ofMOSFETs and other devices decreases, the dimensions of source/drainregions, channel regions, and gate electrodes of the devices, alsodecrease.

The design of ever-smaller planar transistors with short channel lengthsmakes it necessary to provide very shallow source/drain junctions.Shallow junctions are necessary to avoid lateral diffusion of implanteddopants into the channel, since such diffusion disadvantageouslycontributes to leakage currents and poor breakdown performance. Shallowsource/drain junctions, with a thickness of about 30 nm to 100 nm, aregenerally required for acceptable performance in short channel devices.Semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) technology allows the formation ofhigh-speed, shallow junction devices. In addition, SOI devices improveperformance by reducing parasitic junction capacitance.

In a SOI substrate, a buried oxide (BOX) film comprising silicon dioxidemay be formed on a silicon substrate and a single crystal silicon thinfilm is formed thereon. Various methods of fabricating such SOIsubstrates are known, one of which is Separation-by-Implanted Oxygen(SIMOX), wherein oxygen is ion implanted into a single crystal siliconsubstrate to form a BOX film. Another method of forming an SOI substrateis wafer bonding, wherein two semiconductor substrates with siliconoxide surface layers are bonded together at the silicon oxide surfacesto form a BOX layer between the two semiconductor substrates.

The thickness of the silicon layer of an extremely thin silicon oninsulator (ETSOI) layer typically ranges from 3 nm to 10 nm. ETSOItechnology provides an extremely thin silicon channel wherein themajority carriers are fully depleted during operation.

Scaling of fully depleted CMOS technology, particularly thin SOIdevices, requires raised source/drain (S/D) to lower the externalresistance. Conventional raised S/D comes with the drawback of increasedparasitic capacitance between the raised S/D and the gate. Furthermore,in some device structures, for example, extremely thin SOI (ETSOI), theextension resistance becomes the dominant component of total externalresistance. The extension resistance can be lowered by thickening theSOI in extension regions. However, a trade-off is made between twocompeting requirements—lowering external resistance and minimizing theincrease of parasitic capacitance.

The shrinking of device dimensions to 25 nm node and beyond, e.g. 22 nmnode, causes an increase in both external resistance and parasiticcapacitance. Raised source/drain (RSD) fabrication by epitaxy has beenadopted to reduce S/D resistance. Two types of raised RSD devicesinclude vertical RSD and faceted RSD. At a given gate pitch, verticalRSD has enabled the use of a thin spacer and thus increasedsilicide-to-SD contact area. It therefore advantageously lowers contactresistance. A drawback of this configuration is high parasiticgate-to-SD capacitance.

Faceted RSD devices offer the advantage of reduced gate-to-SD parasiticcapacitance, but require a silicide spacer that prevents fullysiliciding the thin SOI layer. The relatively thick spacer reducessilicide-to-SD contact area and thus adversely increases contactresistance.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a vertical RSD structure 20. The structureincludes a semiconductor on insulator (SOI) substrate including a firstsemiconductor layer 22, an insulator layer 24, and a secondsemiconductor layer 26. The first semiconductor layer 22 is an ETSOIlayer having a thickness of less than 10 nm, e.g. 6 nm. In this example,the insulator layer 24 is a buried oxide (BOX) layer. A high-k/metalgate structure 28 is formed on the ETSOI layer. RSD regions 30 adjointhe ETSOI channel region. Silicide contact layers 32 are formed on theRSD regions.

FIG. 10 shows a faceted RSD structure 36 having some of the sameelements found in the vertical RSD structure 20. In situ boron doped(ISBD) and in situ phosphorus doped (ISPD) faceted epitaxy may, forexample, be used to form the RSD regions 38. A second silicide spacer 40comprising, for example, silicon nitride, is required in this structure36. High resistivity of the structure 36 is due to reducedsilicide-to-SD contact area. A nitride cap may be provided on the gateelectrode.

SUMMARY

Principles of the present disclosure provide techniques for providingRSD structures having low contact resistance and further exhibiting lowparasitic capacitance. Such principles further provide other FETstructures with improved functionality.

In accordance with a first exemplary embodiment, a method is providedthat includes obtaining a semiconductor-on-insulator substrate, forminga sacrificial gate layer on the substrate, and forming doped raisedsource and drain regions on the substrate, each raised source and drainregion having a top surface and a bottom surface. The sacrificial gatelayer is removed, thereby forming a space between the raised source anddrain regions. The method further includes laterally etching the raisedsource and drain regions to form laterally expanded recesses extendingfrom the space into the raised source and drain regions and filling thespace with a first dielectric material.

In accordance with a further embodiment, an exemplary method includesobtaining a structure including a semiconductor-on-insulator substrate,a dielectric layer, raised source and drain regions between thesubstrate and the dielectric layer, each raised source and drain regionhaving a laterally extending recess bounded by surfaces extendingdiagonally with respect to the substrate and the dielectric layer, atrench above the substrate and between the raised source and drainregions, and a first dielectric material within the trench and laterallyextending recesses. The first dielectric material is removed from thetrench such that the first dielectric material remains in the laterallyextending recesses. A dielectric spacer is formed on the structurewithin the trench, the dielectric spacer comprising material having ahigher k value than the k value of the first dielectric material. A gateconductor is formed within the trench and adjoins the dielectric spacer.

A further exemplary method includes obtaining a structure including asemiconductor-on-insulator substrate, a dielectric layer, raised sourceand drain regions between the substrate and the dielectric layer andhaving top and bottom surfaces, and a trench above the substrate andbetween the raised source and drain regions, laterally etching theraised source and drain regions along crystal planes thereof to formlaterally expanded recesses extending from the trench into the raisedsource and drain, and filling the trench and laterally extendingrecesses with a first dielectric material.

A first exemplary structure includes a substrate having a semiconductorlayer on an insulating layer such as a BOX layer. Epitaxial raisedsource and drain regions are on the semiconductor layer of thesubstrate, each including top and bottom surfaces and a laterallyextending recess defined by diagonally (e.g. 54 degree angle for (111)planes of SiGe) extending surfaces between the top and bottom surfacesthereof. A gate conductor is located between the source and drainregions. A first dielectric spacer is contained within each laterallyextending recess. A second dielectric spacer is positioned between thegate conductor and the substrate and between the gate conductor and thefirst dielectric spacers, the second dielectric spacer being comprisedof a material having a dielectric constant higher than the firstdielectric spacer.

A second structure in accordance with a further exemplary embodimentincludes a substrate including a semiconductor layer on an insulatinglayer. Epitaxial raised source and drain regions are located on thesemiconductor layer of the substrate, each of the raised source anddrain regions including top and bottom surfaces and a laterallyextending recess defined by converging crystal planes between the topand bottom surfaces. The structure further includes a trench above thesubstrate and between the laterally extending recesses within the raisedsource and drain regions and a dielectric layer on the top surface ofeach of the raised source and drain regions.

As used herein, “facilitating” an action includes performing the action,making the action easier, helping to carry the action out, or causingthe action to be performed. Thus, by way of example and not limitation,instructions executing on one processor might facilitate an actioncarried out by instructions executing on a remote processor, by sendingappropriate data or commands to cause or aid the action to be performed.For the avoidance of doubt, where an actor facilitates an action byother than performing the action, the action is nevertheless performedby some entity or combination of entities.

One or more embodiments of the invention or elements thereof can beimplemented in the form of a computer program product including atangible computer readable recordable storage medium with computerusable program code for performing the method steps indicated.Furthermore, one or more embodiments of the invention or elementsthereof can be implemented in the form of a system (or apparatus)including a memory, and at least one processor that is coupled to thememory and operative to perform exemplary method steps. Yet further, inanother aspect, one or more embodiments of the invention or elementsthereof can be implemented in the form of means for carrying out one ormore of the method steps described herein; the means can include (i)hardware module(s), (ii) software module(s), or (iii) a combination ofhardware and software modules; any of (i)-(iii) implement the specifictechniques set forth herein, and the software modules are stored in atangible computer-readable recordable storage medium (or multiple suchmedia).

Substantial beneficial technical effects are provided. For example, oneor more embodiments may provide one or more of the following advantages:

Low contact resistance;

Low gate to source/drain parasitic capacitance;

Low source/drain resistance;

Improved gate length scaling.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description of illustrativeembodiments thereof, which is to be read in connection with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description, given by way of example, will bestbe appreciated in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, whereinlike reference numerals denote like elements and parts, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an extremely thinsemiconductor-on-insulator (ETSOI) wafer;

FIG. 2 is schematic illustration showing the ETSOI wafer followinggrowth of a sacrificial gate, RSD regions, and dielectric fill layers;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration showing removal of the sacrificialgate from the structure of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration showing lateral etching of the RSDregions;

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration showing the filling of a spacecreated by removal of the sacrificial gate and the etching of the RSDregions with a low-k dielectric material;

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration showing the formation of a recess inthe structure of FIG. 5 through partial removal of the low-k dielectricmaterial;

FIG. 7A is a schematic illustration showing the formation of areplacement metal gate in the recess shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 7B is a schematic illustration of an FET structure formed from thestructure shown in FIG. 7A;

FIG. 8A is a schematic illustration of an alternative embodiment showingthe formation of a replacement metal gate in a structure including apartially depleted silicon on insulator (PDSOI) substrate;

FIG. 8B is a schematic illustration of an FET structure formed from thestructure shown in FIG. 8A;

FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration showing a prior art device includingvertical RSD regions, and

FIG. 10 is a schematic illustration showing a prior art device includingfaceted RSD regions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an ETSOI wafer 42 including a first silicon layer 22(hereinafter referred to as an ETSOI layer) overlying an insulatinglayer 24 such as a buried oxide (BOX) layer. The ETSOI layer 22 has athickness preferably less than 10 nm. A semiconductor substrate layer 26underlies the insulating layer 24. In one or more embodiments, the BOXlayer has a thickness of about 145 nm while the substrate layer 26 isabout 875 μm.

The ETSOI layer 22 is preferably made of a semiconducting material suchas crystalline silicon, silicon germanium, or carbon doped silicon. Inthe case of Si:C, carbon constitutes 0.2-4% carbon, preferably 0.5-2.7%carbon by atomic weight percentage. The ETSOI layer 22 may be thinned toa desired thickness by planarization, grinding, wet etch, dry etch,oxidation followed by oxide etch, or any combination thereof, as knownto those of skill in the art. One method of thinning the ETSOI layer 22consists of oxidizing silicon by a thermal dry or wet oxidation process,and then wet etching the oxide layer using preferably a hydrofluoric(HF) acid mixture. This process can be repeated to achieve the desiredthickness. The ETSOI layer 22 on the wafer 42 is preferably less than 10nm in thickness, and is 6 nm thick in an exemplary embodiment. Thesecond semiconductor layer 26 is made of a semiconducting materialincluding, but not limited to Si, strained Si, Si:C, SiGe, SiGe:C, Sialloys, Ge, Ge alloys, GaAs, InAs, InP as well as other III/V and II/VIcompound semiconductors.

The insulating layer 24 spans the ETSOI layer 22, extending on top ofthe substrate semiconductor layer 26, and can be formed by implanting ahigh-energy dopant into the substrate 26 and then annealing thestructure to form a buried insulating layer. Alternatively, theinsulating layer 24 may be deposited or grown epitaxially prior to theformation of ETSOI layer 22. Another and more common method of formingan SOI substrate is wafer bonding, wherein two semiconductor substrateswith silicon oxide surface layers are bonded together at the siliconoxide surfaces to form a BOX layer between the two semiconductorsubstrates. Silicon dioxide is among the oxide materials that may formthe buried insulating layer.

FIG. 2 shows a structure 50 including a sacrificial “dummy” gate 52formed on a portion of the wafer 42. The sacrificial gate is a structurethat defines the geometry of the later formed gate structure thatoperates the semiconductor device, in which the dummy gate is removedand the gate structure that operates the semiconductor device is formedin its place, as described further below. In one exemplary embodiment,the sacrificial gate 52 can be comprised of a sacrificial gate oxide onETSOI layer, a polysilicon layer on top of the sacrificial oxide, and anitride cap on top of the polysilicon layer. In another embodiment, thesacrificial gate 52 can be comprised of a silicon nitride layer. Thedisclosed sacrificial gate materials are considered exemplary as opposedto limiting. Other suitable material or combinations of materialsfamiliar to those of skill in the art may alternatively be employed. Alayer of sacrificial gate material is grown first on the ETSOI layer 22in the illustrative embodiment followed by application of a mask (notshown) to the region of the gate material layer that is to comprise thesacrificial gate 52. The gate material that is not covered by the gatepatterning mask is removed by etching or other suitable procedure. RSDregions 30 are grown epitaxially employing processing techniquesfamiliar to those of skill in the art on the exposed areas of the waferthat are not covered by a gate structure and its optional spacers. Borondoped SiGe may be employed to form pFET structures while nFET structurescan be formed using phosphorous or arsenic doped SiGe RSD regions insome exemplary embodiments. In one exemplary embodiment, both RSDregions 30 are comprised of SiGe. In another exemplary embodiment, theRSD regions are comprised of Si:C comprising up to 4% carbon and dopedwith a group V element to form a nFET device. Growth of the RSD regions30 on the ETSOI layer 22 is followed by forming the dielectric filmlayer 54. In one exemplary embodiment, the dielectric film layer 54 iscomprised of a low-k material such as silicon oxide, carbon dopedsilicon oxide, or fluorine doped silicon oxide. Alternatively, thedielectric layer 54 may comprise multiple layers. A process for forminga dummy gate and adjoining layers of an RSD device is disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 6,939,751, which is incorporated by reference herein.

Referring again to the RSD regions, an in-situ doped semiconductormaterial may be provided by selective-epitaxial growth of SiGe atop theETSOI layer 22. The Ge content of the epitaxial SiGe may range from 5%to 60%, by atomic weight %. The epitaxial SiGe may be under an intrinsiccompressive strain, in which the compressive strain is produced by alattice mismatch between the larger lattice dimension of the SiGe andthe smaller lattice dimension of the layer on which the SiGe isepitaxially grown. The epitaxial grown SiGe produces a compressivestrain in the portion of the ETSOI layer 22 in which the channel of asemiconductor device, such as a pFET device, is subsequently formed. Theterm “in-situ doped” means that the dopant that provides theconductivity of the raised source regions and raised drain regions isintroduced during the epitaxial growth process that provides thesemiconductor material of the raised source regions and the raised drainregions. The in-situ doped semiconductor material can be doped with afirst conductivity type dopant during the epitaxial growth process. Asused herein, the term “conductivity type” denotes a dopant region beingp-type or n-type. As used herein, “p-type” refers to the addition ofimpurities to an intrinsic semiconductor that creates deficiencies ofvalence electrons. In a silicon-containing substrate, examples of p-typedopants, i.e., impurities include but are not limited to: boron,aluminium, gallium and indium. As used herein, “n-type” refers to theaddition of impurities that contributes free electrons to an intrinsicsemiconductor. In a silicon containing substrate examples of n-typedopants, i.e., impurities, include but are not limited to antimony,arsenic and phosphorous. Ion implantation may be employed instead of insitu doping. U.S. Publication No. 2012/0061759 discloses suitable RSDmaterials and doping levels for some exemplary embodiments, and isincorporated by reference herein.

The structure 50 shown in FIG. 2 is processed as shown in FIG. 3 toremove the sacrificial gate 52, preferably by an etching process such asdry (ion) etching. Removal of the sacrificial gate 52 results in astructure 56 having a trench 58 between the RSD regions that extends tothe ETSOI layer 22. The dimensions of the trench correspond to those ofthe gate electrode and other layer(s) that may subsequently be formedtherein. Gate electrode thicknesses range in some embodiments from20-100 nm and gate lengths may range from 10-250 nm, although lesser andgreater thicknesses and lengths may be employed if desired. Thedielectric film layer 54 comprises two discrete portions separated bythe sacrificial gate, each adjoining the top surface of one of the RSDregions 30.

The structure 56 shown in FIG. 3 is subjected to a faceted etch process.In an exemplary embodiment, the trench 58 is subjected to hydrogenchloride gas in an epitaxial reactor. This results in lateral,anisotropic etching of the doped RSD regions 30 as shown schematicallyin FIG. 4. In another exemplary embodiment, a wet anisotropic etchingprocess using tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) may be employed. EachRSD region has a sigma (Σ) or “reverse sigma” configuration when viewedin cross section following the etching process. The laterally extendingrecess within each epitaxial raised source and drain region is definedby surfaces that extend diagonally from the top and bottom surfacesthereof to an intersection within each epitaxial raised source and drainregion. Accordingly, the RSD regions 30 continue to maintain largecontact areas with the dielectric film layers 54 and the ETSOI layer 22as the lateral etching removes more material from the middle portions ofthe RSD regions than the top and bottom portions. The crystal structureof the material comprising the RSD regions contributes to the effectiveformation of the laterally extending, triangular recesses. Etch rates ofthe materials comprising the RSD regions 30 are different in differentcrystal planes, resulting in anisotropic etching of these regions. In anexemplary structure where the RSD regions comprise epitaxially grownSiGe on a silicon-on-insulator substrate, the etch velocity slowssubstantially in the (111) planes, which planes function as etch stopsthat form at least part of the diagonally extending surfaces of theetched RSD regions. If etching is discontinued relatively early, therecesses in the RSD regions may resemble trapezoids rather thantriangles as shown in FIG. 4. In the exemplary embodiment, the etchingstops along (111)-planes, which have a 54 degree angle. Accordingly, inorder to obtain a structure as shown in FIG. 4, the thickness of the RSDregions should be between certain limits and etching is continued for asufficient time until the desired structure is completed. Either recessconfiguration (triangular or trapezoidal) can provide satisfactoryresults. A trench 60 including laterally extending recesses within theRSD regions 30 is thereby formed. Each recess is positioned between thetop and bottom surfaces of one of the RSD regions. The dielectric filmlayers 54 are resistant to the hydrogen chloride gas used in theexemplary process and accordingly maintain substantially the samestructure following etching. Etching in the epitaxial reactor using HClmay be conducted at about 600° C. at about 10 Torr for at least thirtyseconds in one exemplary process. If chlorine is employed instead ofHCl, etching may be conducted at about 500° C. at about 10 Torr.

Upon completion of the etching of the RSD regions, the trench 60 isfilled with a low-k dielectric fill material 62 such as silicon dioxide,carbon doped silicon oxide, fluorine doped silicon oxide, boron nitride,boron carbon nitride, or other appropriate materials. The low-kdielectric can be deposited by chemical vapour deposition (CVD),spin-on, atom layer deposition (ALD) or any other suitable processtechnique. The k value of the low-k fill material is preferably lessthan the k value of silicon nitride. The k value of the low-k materialranges from 2 to 6 and preferably from 2.4 to 4, and more preferablyfrom 2.5 to 3.5. FIG. 5 shows an exemplary structure following thisstep.

The structure of FIG. 5 is subjected to dry (ion) etching whereby thelow-k dielectric fill material is removed from the space comprising theoriginally formed trench 58 shown in FIG. 3. The fill material remainsin the laterally extending recesses of the trench 60 and comprisesspacers 64 separating the RSD regions 30 from the newly formed trench 66in the structure 68 shown in FIG. 6. The etching process is selective tothe oxide material comprising the fill material 62.

A high-k material layer is formed on the structure 68 as a spacer/gatedielectric layer 70. High-k dielectric material having a dielectricconstant (k value) greater than, for example, 3.9, which is thedielectric constant of silicon dioxide, may be employed. The high-kdielectric material may include a dielectric metal oxide. In someimplementations, a high-k material that has a dielectric constant in therange of about 4.0-8.0 may be utilized. Exemplary high-k dielectricmaterials may include HfO₂, ZrO₂, La₂O₃, Al₂O₃, TiO₂, SrTiO₃, LaAlO₃,Y₂O₃, HfO_(x)N_(y), ZrO_(x)N_(y), La₂O_(x)N_(y), Al₂O_(x)N_(y),TiO_(x)N_(y), SrTiO_(x)N_(y), LaAlO_(x)N_(y), or Y₂O_(x)N_(y). In otherimplementations, a silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) dielectric material having adielectric constant of about 7.5 may be used as the spacer and gatedielectric materials. The gate dielectric layer, i.e. the layer betweenthe gate metal and the ETSOI layer, may also include a multi-layer ofSiO₂, SiON, SiN, and a high-k dielectric material, including but notlimited to hafnium oxide (HfO₂), aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃), lanthanumoxide (La₂O₃), zirconium oxide (ZrO₂), and their respective silicates.The thickness of the gate dielectric may be in the range of 1.0 nm-5.0nm The spacer/gate dielectric layer 70 may be formed by using a blanketlayer deposition and an anisotropic etchback method. It is noted thatthe material for the spacer may be deposited using any depositionmethod, e.g., chemical vapor deposition. The spacer may comprise asingle layer or multiple layers. The gate dielectric layer 70A may beformed of the same material as the remainder of the spacer/gatedielectric layer 70 or of a different material. In some embodiments, itis formed prior to deposition of the high-k material forming theremainder of the layer.

A gate electrode layer 72 is deposited on the structure by PVD, ALD, CVDor other suitable processes known to those of skill in the art. Excessgate material can be removed by etching or other subtractive process.The gate electrode may be comprised of metals such as TiN, TaN, W, WN,TaAlN, Al, Au, Ag, or a combination of such metals. Gate electrodeslayers 72 may also include a poly-silicon layer located on top of ametal material, whereby the top of the poly-silicon layer may besilicided. Gate electrodes formed on the wafer may have a thicknessapproximately in the range of 20-100 nm and a length in the range ofabout 10-250 nm, although lesser and greater thicknesses and lengths mayalso be contemplated.

The resulting structure 80 is shown in FIG. 7A. The dielectric filmlayers 54 are later replaced by contact layers 32 such as metal silicidelayers in accordance with salicide processing technology familiar tothose of skill in the art to form the FET structure shown in FIG. 7B.

A process similar to that shown and described with respect to FIGS. 1-7can be employed to form the structure 90 shown in FIG. 8A. Thisstructure 90 includes a partially depleted silicon on insulator layer 92rather than an ETSOI layer. In addition, the source/drain areasadjoining the gate are recessed and the doped, epitaxially formedregions 94 on the PDSOI layer 92 are not monolithic in structure. Thedielectric film layers 54 are removed and replaced by contact layers 32to form the FET structure shown in FIG. 8B. The use of substrates otherthan those including ETSOI and PDSOI layers is feasible for providingFET structures in accordance with the teachings herein. Eachsource/drain region 94 comprises a doped Si:C embedded stressor layer94B which extends to the top surface of the PDSOI layer 92 to createtensile stress. Each RSD region further comprises an epitaxially formedn-doped SiGe capping layer 94A. The SiGe capping layer 94A is easilyetched in hydrogen chloride and in chlorine to form the lateral recessesin which the low-k oxide spacers 64 are later formed. It has been foundthat SiGe is more easily etched in such environments than silicon. Therecesses are formed along crystal planes between the top and bottomsurfaces of the SiGe capping layer 94A in this exemplary embodiment of anFET structure. Similar techniques can alternatively be employed tofabricate a pFET structure (not shown). For example, a p-doped SiGecapping layer may be formed over a Si:Ge embedded stressor layer in apFET device. The spacers 64, 70 and gate conductor 72 are formed in thesame manner described above with respect to the ETSOI structure 80. Itwill be appreciated that the techniques described above can be employedto form integrated circuits having more than one device. For example, byadding conventional patterning techniques, both n-type MOSFET and p-typeMOSFET devices can be formed on the same chip.

Given the discussion thus far, a structure is provided that includes asubstrate having a semiconductor layer on an insulating layer such as aBOX layer. Epitaxial source and drain regions 30, 94 are on thesemiconductor layer of the substrate, each including a laterallyextending recess defined by diagonally (e.g. 54 degree angle for (111)planes of SiGe) extending surfaces between the top and bottom surfacesthereof. A gate conductor 72 is located between the source and drainregions 30 or alternatively regions 94 as shown in FIGS. 8A-B. A firstdielectric spacer 64 is contained within each laterally extendingrecess. A second dielectric spacer 70 is positioned between the gateconductor 72 and the substrate and between the gate conductor and thefirst dielectric spacers 64, the second dielectric spacer beingcomprised of a material having a dielectric constant higher than thefirst dielectric spacer. The semiconductor layer 22 may comprises asilicon layer having a thickness of 10 nm or less in some embodimentsand raised source and drain regions in some embodiments. The epitaxialraised source and drain regions comprise doped silicon germanium in oneor more embodiments and carbon doped silicon in other embodiments. Eachdiagonally extending surface in the RSD region is comprised of a (111)crystal plane in one or more embodiments. The first dielectric spacermay comprise a material having a k value lower than the k value ofsilicon nitride, such as silicon dioxide. The k value of the firstdielectric spacer in each recess is between 2.4 and 4.0 in someembodiments. The diagonally extending surfaces of each epitaxial raisedsource and drain region 30 comprise converging crystal planes in one ormore embodiments, such as illustrated in FIGS. 4-8. An electricallyconductive contact layer 32 may be provided on each epitaxial raisedsource and drain region, as shown in FIGS. 7B and 8B, the seconddielectric spacer 70 extending between each contact layer and the gateconductor 72. The substrate comprises a partially depleted silicon oninsulator substrate in alternative embodiments, such as shown in FIGS.8A and 8B. Each first (low-k) dielectric spacer comprises a materialhaving a k value between 2.4 and 4.0 and the second dielectric spacerhas a k value between 4.0 and 8.0 in one or more embodiments. The seconddielectric spacer is comprised of a single material in some embodiments,such as silicon nitride. In other embodiments, the second dielectricspacer is comprised of multiple layers as discussed in further detailabove. In one or more embodiments of the exemplary structure, each ofthe epitaxial source and drain regions comprises an embedded stressorlayer on the substrate and a capping layer on the embedded stressorlayer, and further wherein the laterally extending recesses compriseconverging crystal planes within the capping layers. The embodiment ofFIGS. 8A-B discloses a structure 90 having embedded stressor layers 94Band doped capping layers 94A wherein the recesses containing the low-kspacers 64 are within the capping layers.

A further structure provided in accordance with the present disclosurecomprises a substrate including a semiconductor layer on an insulatinglayer, epitaxial raised source and drain regions (e.g. regions 30) onthe semiconductor layer of the substrate, each of the raised source anddrain regions including top and bottom surfaces and a laterallyextending recess defined by converging crystal planes between the topand bottom surfaces. The structure further includes a trench 60 abovethe substrate and between the laterally extending recesses within theraised source and drain regions and a dielectric layer 54 on the topsurface of each of the raised source and drain regions. An exemplaryembodiment of such a structure is shown in FIG. 4. The structure furtherincludes a dielectric material 62 within the trench and the laterallyextending recesses in a further embodiment, such as shown in FIG. 5. Thedielectric material in the trench and recesses comprises a materialhaving a k value between 2.4 and 4.0 in one or more embodiments. Thesemiconductor layer (e.g. layer 22) comprises a silicon layer having athickness of ten nanometers or less in one or more embodiments. Eachrecess within the RSD regions has a triangular configuration in one ormore embodiments. Each raised source and drain region comprises siliconand each converging crystal plane is a (111) crystal plane in one ormore embodiments. The exemplary structure further includes a dielectricspacer 64 within each of the laterally extending recesses, such as shownin FIG. 6, in some embodiments of the structure. Each laterallyextending recess has a triangular configuration in further embodimentsof the structure as the converging crystal planes converge at a point,the dielectric spacers being positioned within the triangular recessesas shown in FIG. 6. Each raised source and drain region comprisessilicon and each diagonally extending surface is a (111) crystal planein any of the above embodiments. The substrate comprises a partiallydepleted silicon on insulator substrate, each laterally extending recesshaving a triangular configuration and extending from between the topsurface of one of the raised source and drain regions and the substrate,in one or more embodiments, such as the embodiments shown in FIG. 8A,B.One of the converging crystal planes defining each recess intersects aninterface between the top surface of one of the RSD regions 30, 94 andone of the dielectric layers 54 in one or more embodiments.

A further exemplary structure includes a substrate including asemiconductor layer on an insulating layer and a field effect transistorincluding a gate conductor and source/drain regions on the substrate. Alaterally extending recess defined by converging crystal planes iswithin each source/drain region. A first dielectric spacer comprised ofa first material having a first dielectric constant is within each ofthe laterally extending recesses. (See, for example, the low-k spacers64 in FIGS. 7A-B and FIGS. 8A-B.) A second dielectric spacer is betweenthe gate conductor and each of the first dielectric spacers. The seconddielectric spacer (e.g. element 70 in FIGS. 7A-B and 8A-B) is comprisedof a second material having a dielectric constant higher than thedielectric constant of the first material. In one or more embodiments ofthe exemplary structure, the semiconductor layer comprises a siliconlayer having a thickness of 10 nm or less and the epitaxial source/drainregions comprise epitaxial raised source/drain regions. The embodimentof FIGS. 7A-B includes RSD regions 30 on an ETSOI layer having such athickness. In some embodiments of the structure, the substrate comprisesa partially depleted silicon on insulator substrate and each of theepitaxial source/drain regions comprises an embedded stressor layer onthe substrate and a capping layer on the embedded stressor layer, thelaterally extending recesses being located within the capping layers.The discussion above with respect to FIGS. 8A-B relate to a structure 90having such a substrate having doped embedded stressor and cappingregions. Each of the epitaxial source/drain regions of the exemplarystructure comprises an embedded stressor layer on the substrate in someembodiments and a capping layer on the embedded stressor layer. In suchembodiments, the laterally extending recesses are located within thecapping layers. As discussed above, capping layers comprising silicongermanium are readily amenable to etching in chlorine or hydrochloricacid. FIGS. 8A-B disclose such an exemplary structure wherein thesubstrate includes a PDSOI layer 92.

A first exemplary method is provided that includes obtaining asemiconductor-on-insulator substrate, forming a sacrificial gate layer(e.g. layer 52 in FIG. 2) on the substrate, and forming doped raisedsource and drain regions on the substrate, each raised source and drainregion having a top surface and a bottom surface. The sacrificial gatelayer is removed, thereby forming a space between the source and drainregions, such as shown in FIG. 3. The method further includes laterallyetching the raised source and drain regions to form laterally expandedrecesses extending from the space into the source and drain regions suchas shown in FIG. 4 and filling the space with a first dielectricmaterial. FIG. 5 shows the filling of the space 60 with a dielectricmaterial 62, which is a low-k oxide material in some embodiments.Subsequent steps may include forming a recess in the first dielectricmaterial while maintaining the first dielectric material as firstdielectric spacers within the laterally expanded recesses, such as shownin FIG. 6, forming a second dielectric spacer within the space, andforming an electrically conductive gate structure within and adjoiningthe second dielectric spacer. An exemplary second dielectric spacer 70and gate structure 72 are shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B.

A further exemplary method includes obtaining a structure including asemiconductor-on-insulator substrate, a dielectric layer, source anddrain regions between the substrate and the dielectric layer, eachsource and drain region having a laterally extending recess bounded bysurfaces extending diagonally with respect to the substrate and thedielectric layer, a trench above the substrate and between the raisedsource and drain regions, and a first dielectric material within thetrench and laterally extending recesses. FIG. 5 shows such a structure.The first dielectric material is removed from the trench such that thefirst dielectric material remains in the laterally extending recesses,as exemplified by FIG. 6. A dielectric spacer is formed on the structurewithin the trench, the dielectric spacer comprising material having ahigher k value than the k value of the first dielectric material. A gateconductor is formed within the trench and adjoins the dielectric spacer.FIGS. 7A and 8A show structures having gate conductors 72 formed withintrenches and spacers 70 having relatively high k values formed inaccordance with the further exemplary method.

A further exemplary method includes obtaining a structure such asschematically illustrated in FIG. 3 that includes asemiconductor-on-insulator substrate, a dielectric layer, source anddrain regions between the substrate and the dielectric layer and havingtop and bottom surfaces, and a trench above the substrate and betweenthe source and drain regions, laterally etching the source and drainregions (e.g. regions 30, 94A) along crystal planes thereof to formlaterally expanded recesses such as shown in FIG. 4 that extend from thetrench into the source and drain regions, and filling the trench andlaterally extending recesses with a first dielectric material asexemplified by FIG. 5. In one or more further embodiments of theexemplary method, further steps include removing the first dielectricmaterial from the trench such that the first dielectric material remainsin the laterally extending recesses, forming a dielectric spacer on thestructure within the trench, the dielectric spacer comprising materialhaving a higher k value than the k value of the first dielectricmaterial, and forming a gate conductor within the trench and adjoiningthe dielectric spacer. It will be appreciated that such steps can beperformed (i) whether the substrate includes, for example, an ETSOIlayer or a PDSOI layer or (ii) whether the source/drain regions areraised, monolithic structures grown epitaxially directly on thesubstrate as shown in FIG. 2 next to the area where the gate is formedor whether they comprise layered structures as shown in the exemplaryembodiment of FIGS. 8A-B wherein an embedded stressor layer 94B is grownepitaxially in recessed areas on the substrate rather than next to thegate area and capping layers 94A grown on the embedded stressor layersadjoin the gate area.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof. Terms such as “above” and “below” aregenerally employed to indicate relative positions as opposed to relativeelevations unless otherwise indicated.

It will be appreciated and should be understood that the exemplaryembodiments of the invention described above can be implemented in anumber of different fashions. The embodiments were chosen and describedin order to best explain the principles of the invention and thepractical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the artto understand the invention for various embodiments with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Giventhe teachings of the invention provided herein, one of ordinary skill inthe related art will be able to contemplate other implementations of theinvention.

Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is tobe understood that the invention is not limited to those preciseembodiments, and that various other changes and modifications may bemade by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope orspirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: obtaining asemiconductor-on-insulator substrate; forming a sacrificial gate layeron the substrate; forming doped raised source and drain regions on thesubstrate, each raised source and drain region having a top surface anda bottom surface; removing the sacrificial gate layer, thereby forming aspace between the raised source and drain regions; laterally etching theraised source and drain regions to form laterally expanded recessesextending from the space into the raised source and drain regions, andfilling the space with a first dielectric material.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising forming a recess in the first dielectricmaterial while maintaining the first dielectric material as firstdielectric spacers within the laterally expanded recesses.
 3. The methodof claim 2, further comprising forming a second dielectric spacer withinthe space and adjoining the substrate and the first dielectric spacers,the second dielectric spacer being comprised of a material having ahigher k value than the first dielectric material.
 4. The method ofclaim 3, further comprising forming an electrically conductive gatestructure within and adjoining the second dielectric spacer, the seconddielectric spacer comprising a gate dielectric layer between theelectrically conductive gate structure and the substrate.
 5. The methodof claim 4, wherein the substrate comprises an extremely thin silicon oninsulator substrate including a silicon layer having a thickness of 10nm or less.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the first dielectricmaterial has a k value in the range of 2.4-4.
 7. The method of claim 4,wherein the raised source and drain regions comprise doped silicongermanium having (111) crystal planes, wherein the step of laterallyetching further includes using the (111) planes as etch stops, therebyforming diagonal surfaces bounding the laterally expanded recesses. 8.The method of claim 4, wherein the raised source and drain regionscomprise silicon, wherein the step of laterally etching further includesanisotropically etching the source and drain regions to form triangularrecesses defined by crystal planes of the raised source and drainregions.
 9. The method of claim 4, further including forming dielectricfilm layers on the top surfaces of the raised source and drain regionssuch that a set of first interfaces are formed between the raised sourceand drain regions and the dielectric layers.
 10. The method of claim 9,wherein the first interfaces between the raised source and drain regionsand the dielectric layers remain substantially the same in size duringthe step of laterally etching the raised source and drain regions. 11.The method of claim 10, further including a set of second interfacesbetween the raised source and drain regions and the substrate, whereinthe second interfaces between the raised source and drain regions andthe substrate remain substantially the same in size during the step oflaterally etching the raised source and drain regions.
 12. A methodcomprising: obtaining a structure including a semiconductor-on-insulatorsubstrate, a dielectric layer, source and drain regions between thesubstrate and the dielectric layer, each source and drain region havinga laterally extending recess bounded by surfaces extending diagonallywith respect to the substrate and the dielectric layer, a trench abovethe substrate and between the source and drain regions, and a firstdielectric material within the trench and laterally extending recesses;removing the first dielectric material from the trench such that thefirst dielectric material remains in the laterally extending recesses;forming a dielectric spacer on the structure within the trench, thedielectric spacer comprising material having a higher k value than the kvalue of the first dielectric material, and forming a gate conductorwithin the trench and adjoining the dielectric spacer.
 13. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the substrate comprises an extremely thin silicon oninsulator substrate and the source and drain regions comprise raisedsource/drain regions.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the substratecomprises a partially depleted silicon on insulator substrate, thesource and drain regions each comprising an embedded stressor layer onthe substrate and a silicon germanium capping layer, the laterallyextending recesses extending within the capping layers.
 15. The methodof claim 12, wherein the laterally extending recesses have triangularconfigurations comprising crystal planes.
 16. The method of claim 15,wherein the substrate comprises a silicon layer having a thickness of 10nm or less.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the source and drainregions comprise silicon and the diagonally extending surfaces aredefined by (111) crystal planes.
 18. The method of claim 16, furthercomprising replacing the dielectric layer with electrically conductivecontact layers adjoining the source and drain regions.
 19. A methodcomprising: obtaining a structure including a semiconductor-on-insulatorsubstrate, a dielectric layer, source and drain regions between thesubstrate and the dielectric layer and having top and bottom surfaces,and a trench above the substrate and between the source and drainregions; laterally etching the source and drain regions along crystalplanes thereof to form laterally expanded recesses extending from thetrench into the source and drain regions, and filling the trench andlaterally extending recesses with a first dielectric material.
 20. Themethod of claim 19, further comprising: removing the first dielectricmaterial from the trench such that the first dielectric material remainsin the laterally extending recesses; forming a dielectric spacer on thestructure within the trench, the dielectric spacer comprising materialhaving a higher k value than the k value of the first dielectricmaterial, and forming a gate conductor within the trench and adjoiningthe dielectric spacer.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the substratecomprises a silicon layer having a thickness of 10 nm or less.
 22. Themethod of claim 20, wherein the substrate comprises a partially depletedsilicon on insulator structure.
 23. The method of claim 20, wherein theraised source and drain regions comprise silicon, and wherein the stepof laterally etching further includes anisotropically etching the sourceand drain regions to form surfaces defined by (111) crystal planes ofeach raised source and drain region.
 24. The method of claim 23, whereinthe step of laterally etching further includes forming triangularlaterally extending recesses.
 25. A structure comprising: a substrateincluding a semiconductor layer on an insulating layer; epitaxial sourceand drain regions on the semiconductor layer of the substrate, each ofthe source and drain regions including a laterally extending recessdefined by diagonally extending surfaces; a gate conductor between thesource and drain regions; a first dielectric spacer contained withineach laterally extending recess, and a second dielectric spacerpositioned between the gate conductor and the first dielectric spacers,the second dielectric spacer being comprised of a material having adielectric constant higher than the first dielectric spacer.